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A study conducted by ZDNet has found that UK consumers are being made to pay one-third more for exactly the same machines as their US counterparts.
The Linux PC’s – the Inspiron 530n and the Inspiron 6400n notebook were launched in the UK on Wednesday – however, only the 530n is available in both countries.
ZDNet’s study took a same-specced 530n and compared the price finding a large difference between the price US customers pay and that which UK customers pay. The US model cost $619 (£305.10) while the same model in the UK costs £416.61 – a premium of £111 or 36 per cent.
That was despite Dell’s spokesperson on the Linux Dell launch, Adam Griffin saying on Wednesday that UK users would definitely not be asked to pay a premium compared to the price that US consumers would have to pay. "We have very aggressive bundles in Europe," he said. "They are not more expensive."
It’s worth bearing in mind that the US price does not include sales tax, which is an average of nine per cent, while the UK price includes VAT.